SAG to fete Ernest Borgnine

Kudo to be presented at awards on Jan. 30

The Screen Actors Guild has tapped Ernest Borgnine to receive its life achievement award.

SAG made the announcement Wednesday, noting that Borgnine’s performed in more than 200 motion pictures, five TV series and dozens of television films.

The kudo will be presented at the 17th Annual SAG Awards on Jan. 30 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Betty White was the most recent recipient.

“Whether portraying brutish villains, sympathetic everymen, complex leaders or hapless heroes, Ernest Borgnine has brought a boundless energy which, at 93, is still a hallmark of his remarkably busy life and career,” said SAG president Ken Howard. “It is with that same joyous spirit that we salute his impressive body of work and his steadfast generosity.”

Borgnine broke into show business in 1949 as the hospital attendant in a Broadway production of “Harvey” and made his motion picture debut two years later in “The Whistle at Eaton Falls.” Following roles in “From Here to Eternity” and “Bad Day at Black Rock,” he starred in “Marty” and won an Oscar, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

Borgnine performed frequently on “G.E. Theatre” and “Philco Playhouse” and received his first Emmy nomination for ensemble comedy “McHale’s Navy” in 1963. He also received Emmy bids in 1980 for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and last year for his guest role in the final episode of “E.R.”

Borgnine also received a Daytime Emmy nomination for his voice work in “All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series” in 1999.